The ones with the glazed over eyes, drooping posture and perhaps a little distracted during conversation. Almost definitely, they’ll still be smiling.

They’re the ones who didn’t get enough sleep last night –
the ones that stayed up to witness New Zealand sporting history.

Quite frankly, there should be more of them.

The Black Caps dogged victory over India, the sport’s
juggernaut, at the Cricket World Cup semi-finals in Manchester has been touted
as a win for the under-dog, “an upset for the ages” and it should be
celebrated. But as a nation, if we’re being honest, we didn’t really believe
they’d do it.

Why are we so quick to write off the chances of those flying
the Kiwi flag? Those who want to put our towns, our cities, our country on the
map despite being faced with overwhelming odds. Much like in the business
world, the underestimating of the New Zealand cricket team was done as much by
New Zealanders as it was by the rest of the world.

The Black Caps had suffered three consecutive defeats in the
run in to the playoffs, they were the last placed team to qualify. They were
taking on a team filled with some of the biggest names in the sport and the
most vocal, confident and passionate supporter base in cricket. There have been
question marks over New Zealand’s form, tactics and selections. All
ready-made excuses to prepare us for defeat, stopping us from getting our hopes
up.

Even those who were watching the game had times where it was
easy to wave the white flag. India looked to be cruising before a couple
of crucial deliveries and one exquisite run out changed the course of the game.

But what about the fact that New Zealand has the best record
against India at ICC tournaments? What about the fact that almost half this
team had helped play New Zealand into the last World Cup final four years
ago? What about the calming, unwavering self-belief of captain Kane
Williamson filtering through to his team on the big stage?

It’s almost like – with an exception made for the All Blacks, Crusaders and a small handful of super-athletes at the Olympics – we don’t want to dream big and get our hopes up for fear of being let down.

A post shared by BLACKCAPS (@blackcapsnz) on Jul 10, 2019 at 9:48am PDT

Some people “saved” themselves from disappointment, went to
bed early or didn’t watch at all. To those people, do you feel you made
the right call? Those of us who invested in the occasion, decided to take a
leap of faith and dared to dream of being part of something special have been
rewarded. No one will forget that experience in a hurry. Who knows, it
could well be topped with a shiny trophy in a few days’ time.

No matter who they play, the Kiwi cricketers will be the
underdogs in Sunday night’s final. England at home, or five time and defending
World Champions Australia – both who beat the Black Caps in the past fortnight.

Let the rest of the world talk them down, but maybe for once, we don’t.

Why can’t they win? Why shouldn’t we be confident in them?
If New Zealand athletes and businesses thought that being on the wrong side of
the odds was a reason not to believe, we’d never achieve anything as a nation.

If the organisation you work for and people who support your
work don’t have faith in your vision, how far can you really go?

This doesn’t mean you need to put the opposition down or start
prematurely planning victory parades. Williamson is the perfect example of how
success and winners can be humble.

So, set yourself a goal, have some faith, dream big and be
one of the bleary-eyed ones on Monday morning. Backing and believing in your
team – no matter if they compete on grass, in stores or online – needs to
become a non-negotiable part of our psyche.